Damper with digital valve

ABSTRACT

A shock absorber is disclosed which has a base valve assembly for controlling a flow of a working fluid between a reservoir chamber and a working chamber of the shock absorber. The base valve makes use of at least one digital valve assembly. The digital valve assembly communicates with an intermediate chamber formed between an intermediate tube and a pressure tube of the shock absorber. The digital valve assembly controls flow of the working fluid between the intermediate chamber and the reservoir chamber, to help control a damping action provided by the shock absorber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/134,390 filed on Dec. 19, 2013, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/573,911 filed on Oct. 6, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,616,351). The entire disclosures of each of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to hydraulic dampers or shock absorbers for use in a suspension system such as a suspension system used for automotive vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a digital damper valve which is combined with the conventional passive valve systems to determine the damping characteristics of the hydraulic damper.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Shock absorbers are used in conjunction with automotive suspension systems to absorb unwanted vibrations which occur during driving. To absorb the unwanted vibrations, shock absorbers are generally connected between the sprung portion (body) and the unsprung portion (suspension) of the automobile. A piston is located within a pressure tube of the shock absorber and the pressure tube is connected to the unsprung portion of the vehicle. The piston is connected to the sprung portion of the automobile through a piston rod which extends through the pressure tube. The piston divides the pressure tube into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber both of which are filled with hydraulic fluid. Because the piston is able, through valving, to limit the flow of the hydraulic fluid between the upper and the lower working chambers when the shock absorber is compressed or extended, the shock absorber is able to produce a damping force which counteracts the vibration which would otherwise be transmitted from the unsprung portion to the sprung portion of the vehicle. In a dual-tube shock absorber, a fluid reservoir or reserve chamber is defined between the pressure tube and a reserve tube. A base valve is located between the lower working chamber and the reserve chamber to also produce a damping force which counteracts the vibrations which would otherwise be transmitted from the unsprung portion of the vehicle to the sprung portion of the automobile.

As described above, for a dual-tube shock absorber, the valving on the piston limits the flow of damping fluid between the upper and lower working chambers when the shock absorber is extended to produce a damping load. The valving on the base valve limits the flow of damping fluid between the lower working chamber and the reserve chamber when the shock absorber is compressed to produce a damping load. For a mono-tube shock absorber, the valving on the piston limits the flow of damping fluid between the upper and lower working chambers when the shock absorber is extended or compressed to produce a damping load. During driving, the suspension system moves in jounce (compression) and rebound (extension). During jounce movements, the shock absorber is compressed causing damping fluid to move through the base valve in a dual-tube shock absorber or through the piston valve in a mono-tube shock absorber. A damping valve located on the base valve or the piston controls the flow of damping fluid and thus the damping force created. During rebound movements, the shock absorber is extended causing damping fluid to move through the piston in both the dual-tube shock absorber and the mono-tube shock absorber. A damping valve located on the piston controls the flow of damping fluid and thus the damping force created.

In a dual-tube shock absorber, the piston and the base valve normally include a plurality of compression passages and a plurality of extension passages. During jounce or compression movements in a dual-tube shock absorber, the damping valve or the base valve opens the compression passages in the base valve to control fluid flow and produce a damping load. A check valve on the piston opens the compression passages in the piston to replace damping fluid in the upper working chamber but this check valve does not contribute to the damping load. The damping valve on the piston closes the extension passages of the piston and a check valve on the base valve closes the extension passages of the base valve during a compression movement. During rebound or extension movements in a dual-tube shock absorber, the damping valve on the piston opens the extension passages in the piston to control fluid flow and produce a damping load. A check valve on the base valve opens the extension passages in the base valve to replace damping fluid in the lower working chamber but this check valve does not contribute to the damping load.

In a mono-tube shock absorber, the piston normally includes a plurality of compression passages and a plurality of extension passages. The shock absorber will also include means for compensating for the rod volume flow of fluid as is well known in the art. During jounce or compression movements in a mono-tube shock absorber, the compression damping valve on the piston opens the compression passages in the piston to control fluid flow and produce a damping load. The extension damping valve on the piston closes the extension passages of the piston during a jounce movement. During rebound or extension movements in a mono-tube shock absorber, the extension damping valve on the piston opens the extension passages in the piston to control fluid flow and produce a damping load. The compression damping valve on the piston closes the compression passages of the piston during a rebound movement.

For most dampers, the damping valves are designed as a normal close/open valve even though some valves may include a bleed flow of damping fluid. Because of this close/open design, these passive valve systems are limited in their ability to adjust the generated damping load in response to various operating conditions of the vehicle.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

In one aspect the present disclosure relates to a shock absorber for use with motor vehicles. The shock absorber comprises an intermediate tube and a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube, which forms a working chamber within the pressure tube. A piston rod is disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber. A piston assembly is secured to the piston rod and is moveable slidably within the pressure tube. The piston assembly divides the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber. An intermediate chamber is formed between the intermediate tube and the pressure tube, with the intermediate chamber being in communication with the working chamber. A reserve tube is disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube and forms a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube. A base valve assembly is disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber and controls a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber. The base valve assembly includes a digital valve assembly in communication with the intermediate chamber. The digital valve assembly includes a valve element which is moveable between a first position and a second position to control a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to thus help control damping provided by the shock absorber.

In another aspect the present disclosure provides a shock absorber which makes use of an intermediate tube and a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube. A working chamber is formed within the pressure tube. A piston rod is disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber. A piston assembly is secured to the piston rod and moves slidably within the pressure tube. The piston assembly divides the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber. An intermediate chamber is formed between the intermediate tube and the pressure tube, with the intermediate chamber being in communication with the upper working chamber. A reserve tube is disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube. A base valve assembly is disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber and controls a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber. The base valve assembly includes a plurality of independently electrically energizable valves arranged radially about an axial center of the base valve assembly. The valves control a flow of a portion of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber.

In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to a method of forming a shock absorber. The method may comprise providing an intermediate tube and a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube. A working chamber is formed within the pressure tube. A piston rod is disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber. A piston assembly is provided which is secured to the piston rod and moveable slidably within the pressure tube. The piston assembly divides the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber. The method further comprises forming an intermediate chamber between the intermediate tube and the pressure tube, with the intermediate chamber being in communication with the working chamber. A reserve tube is provided about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube. The method further involves using a base valve assembly disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber for controlling a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber. Still further, the method involves incorporating a digital valve assembly into the base valve assembly, the digital valve assembly being in communication with the intermediate chamber and the reservoir chamber. The method further involves controlling movement of an electrically energizable, axially slidably movable valve element of the digital valve assembly between a first position and a second position to control a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an automobile having shock absorbers which incorporate the valve design in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partially in cross-section of a dual-tube shock absorber from FIG. 1 which incorporates the valve design in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view, partially in cross-section, of the piston assembly from the shock absorber illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view, partially in cross-section of the base valve assembly from the shock absorber illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view, partially in cross-section of the digital valve assembly from the shock absorber illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the digital valve assembly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a graph of force vs. velocity for the shock absorber illustrated in FIGS. 2-6;

FIG. 8 is a side view, partially in cross-section, of a mono-tube shock absorber which incorporates the valve design in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view, partially in cross-section of the piston assembly shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the digital valve assembly illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a shock absorber and rod guide assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the digital valve assembly illustrated in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a piston rod assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the digital valve assembly illustrated in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional side view of a shock absorber assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the digital valve assemblies illustrated in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the base valve assembly illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a base valve assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the base valve assembly illustrated in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a base valve assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 21 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the base valve assembly illustrated in FIG. 20.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. There is shown in FIG. 1 a vehicle incorporating a suspension system having shock absorbers, each of which incorporates a valve assembly in accordance with the present invention, and which is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. Vehicle 10 includes a rear suspension 12, a front suspension 14 and a body 16. Rear suspension 12 has a transversely extending rear axle assembly (not shown) adapted to operatively support a pair of rear wheels 18. The rear axle is attached to body 16 by means of a pair of shock absorbers 20 and by a pair of springs 22. Similarly, front suspension 14 includes a transversely extending front axle assembly (not shown) to operatively support a pair of front wheels 24. The front axle assembly is attached to body 16 by means of a pair of shock absorbers 26 and by a pair of springs 28. Shock absorbers 20 and 26 serve to dampen the relative motion of the unsprung portion (i.e., front and rear suspensions 12, 14) with respect to the sprung portion (i.e., body 16) of vehicle 10. While vehicle 10 has been depicted as a passenger car having front and rear axle assemblies, shock absorbers 20 and 26 may be used with other types of vehicles or in other types of applications including, but not limited to, vehicles incorporating non-independent front and/or non-independent rear suspensions, vehicles incorporating independent front and/or independent rear suspensions or other suspension systems known in the art. Further, the term “shock absorber” as used herein is meant to refer to dampers in general and thus will include McPherson struts and other damper designs known in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 2, shock absorber 20 is shown in greater detail. While FIG. 2 illustrates only shock absorber 20, it is to be understood that shock absorber 26 also includes the valve assembly design described below for shock absorber 20. Shock absorber 26 only differs from shock absorber 20 in the manner in which it is adapted to be connected to the sprung and unsprung masses of vehicle 10. Shock absorber 20 comprises a pressure tube 30, a piston assembly 32, a piston rod 34, a reserve tube 36 and a base valve assembly 38.

Pressure tube 30 defines a working chamber 42. Piston assembly 32 is slidably disposed within pressure tube 30 and divides working chamber 42 into an upper working chamber 44 and a lower working chamber 46. A seal 48 is disposed between piston assembly 32 and pressure tube 30 to permit sliding movement of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 30 without generating undue frictional forces as well as sealing upper working chamber 44 from lower working chamber 46. Piston rod 34 is attached to piston assembly 32 and extends through upper working chamber 44 and through a rod guide assembly 50 which closes the upper end of pressure tube 30. The end of piston rod 34 opposite to piston assembly 32 is adapted to be secured to the sprung mass of vehicle 10. Valving within piston assembly 32 controls the movement of fluid between upper working chamber 44 and lower working chamber 46 during movement of piston assembly 32 within pressure tube 30. Because piston rod 34 extends only through upper working chamber 44 and not lower working chamber 46, movement of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 30 causes a difference in the amount of fluid displaced in upper working chamber 44 and the amount of fluid displaced in lower working chamber 46. The difference in the amount of fluid displaced is known as the “rod volume” and it flows through base valve assembly 38.

Reserve tube 36 surrounds pressure tube 30 to define a fluid reservoir chamber 52 located between tubes 30 and 36. The bottom end of reserve tube 36 is closed by a base cup 54 which is adapted to be connected to the unsprung mass of vehicle 10. The upper end of reserve tube 36 is attached to rod guide assembly 50. Base valve assembly 38 is disposed between lower working chamber 46 and reservoir chamber 52 to control the flow of fluid between chambers 46 and 52. When shock absorber 20 extends in length, an additional volume of fluid is needed in lower working chamber 46 due to the “rod volume” concept. Thus, fluid will flow from reservoir chamber 52 to lower working chamber 46 through base valve assembly 38 as detailed below. When shock absorber 20 compresses in length, an excess of fluid must be removed from lower working chamber 46 due to the “rod volume” concept. Thus, fluid will flow from lower working chamber 46 to reservoir chamber 52 through base valve assembly 38 as detailed below.

Referring now to FIG. 3, piston assembly 32 comprises a piston body 60, a compression valve assembly 62 and a rebound valve assembly 64. Compression valve assembly 62 is assembled against a shoulder 66 on piston rod 34. Piston body 60 is assembled against compression valve assembly 62 and rebound valve assembly 64 is assembled against piston body 60. A nut 68 secures these components to piston rod 34.

Piston body 60 defines a plurality of compression passages 70 and a plurality of rebound passages 72. Seal 48 includes a plurality of ribs 74 which mate with a plurality of annular grooves 76 to retain seal 48 during sliding movement of piston assembly 32.

Compression valve assembly 62 comprises a retainer 78, a valve disc 80 and a spring 82. Retainer 78 abuts shoulder 66 on one end and piston body 60 on the other end. Valve disc 80 abuts piston body 60 and closes compression passages 70 while leaving rebound passages 72 open. Spring 82 is disposed between retainer 78 and valve disc 80 to bias valve disc 80 against piston body 60. During a compression stroke, fluid in lower working chamber 46 is pressurized causing fluid pressure to react against valve disc 80. When the fluid pressure against valve disc 80 overcomes the biasing load of spring 82, valve disc 80 separates from piston body 60 to open compression passages 70 and allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 46 to upper working chamber 44. Typically spring 82 only exerts a light load on valve disc 80 and compression valve assembly 62 acts as a check valve between chambers 46 and 44. The damping characteristics for shock absorber 20 during a compression stroke are controlled in part by base valve assembly 38 which accommodates the flow of fluid from lower working chamber 46 to reservoir chamber 52 due to the “rod volume” concept. During a rebound stroke, compression passages 70 are closed by valve disc 80.

Rebound valve assembly 64 is termed a passive valve assembly which comprises a spacer 84, a plurality of valve discs 86, a retainer 88 and a spring 90. Spacer 84 is threadingly received on piston rod 34 and is disposed between piston body 60 and nut 68. Spacer 84 retains piston body 60 and compression valve assembly 62 while permitting the tightening of nut 68 without compressing either valve disc 80 or valve discs 86. Retainer 78, piston body 60 and spacer 84 provide a continuous solid connection between shoulder 66 and nut 68 to facilitate the tightening and securing of nut 68 to spacer 84 and thus to piston rod 34. Valve discs 86 are slidingly received on spacer 84 and abut piston body 60 to close rebound passages 72 while leaving compression passages 70 open. Retainer 88 is also slidingly received on spacer 84 and it abuts valve discs 86. Spring 90 is assembled over spacer 84 and is disposed between retainer 88 and nut 68 which is threadingly received on spacer 84. Spring 90 biases retainer 88 against valve discs 86 and valve discs 86 against piston body 60. When fluid pressure is applied to valve discs 86, they will elastically deflect at the outer peripheral edge to open rebound valve assembly 64. A shim is located between nut 68 and spring 90 to control the preload for spring 90 and thus the blow off pressure as described below. Thus, the calibration for the blow off feature of rebound valve assembly 64 is separate from the calibration for compression valve assembly 62.

During a rebound stroke, fluid in upper working chamber 44 is pressurized causing fluid pressure to react against valve discs 86. Prior to the deflecting of valve discs 86, a bleed flow of fluid flows through a bleed passage defined between valve discs 86 and piston body 60. When the fluid pressure reacting against valve discs 86 overcomes the bending load for valve discs 86, valve discs 86 elastically deflect opening rebound passages 72 allowing fluid flow from upper working chamber 44 to lower working chamber 46. The strength of valve discs 86 and the size of rebound passages will determine the damping characteristics for shock absorber 20 in rebound. When the fluid pressure within upper working chamber 44 reaches a predetermined level, the fluid pressure will overcome the biasing load of spring 90 causing axial movement of retainer 88 and the plurality of valve discs 86. The axial movement of retainer 88 and valve discs 86 fully opens rebound passages 72 thus allowing the passage of a significant amount of damping fluid creating a blowing off of the fluid pressure which is required to prevent damage to shock absorber 20 and/or vehicle 10.

Referring to FIG. 4, base valve assembly 38 comprises a valve body 92, a compression valve assembly 94 and a rebound valve assembly 96. Compression valve assembly 94 and rebound valve assembly 96 are attached to valve body 92 using a bolt 98 and a nut 100. The tightening of nut 100 biases compression valve assembly 94 towards valve body 92. Valve body 92 defines a plurality of compression passages 102 and a plurality of rebound passages 104.

Compression valve assembly 94 is termed a passive valve assembly which comprises a plurality of valve discs 106 that are biased against valve body 92 by bolt 98 and nut 100. During a compression stroke, fluid in lower working chamber 46 is pressurized and the fluid pressure within compression passages 102 reacts against valve discs 106. Prior to the deflection of valve discs 106, a bleed flow of fluid will flow through a bleed passage defined between valve discs 106 and valve body 92. The fluid pressure reacting against valve discs 106 will eventually open compression valve assembly 94 by deflecting valve discs 106 in a manner similar to that described above for rebound valve assembly 64. Compression valve assembly 62 will allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 46 to upper working chamber 44 and only the “rod volume” will flow through compression valve assembly 94. The damping characteristics for shock absorber 20 are determined in part by the design of compression valve assembly 94 of base valve assembly 38.

Rebound valve assembly 96 comprises a valve disc 108 and a valve spring 110. Valve disc 108 abuts valve body 92 and closes rebound passages 104. Valve spring 110 is disposed between nut 100 and valve disc 80 to bias valve disc 108 against valve body 92. During a rebound stroke, fluid in lower working chamber 46 is reduced in pressure causing fluid pressure in reservoir chamber 52 to react against valve disc 108. When the fluid pressure against valve disc 108 overcomes the biasing load of valve spring 110, valve disc 108 separates from valve body 92 to open rebound passages 104 and allow fluid flow from reservoir chamber 52 to lower working chamber 46. Typically valve spring 110 exerts only a light load on valve disc 108 and compression valve assembly 94 acts as a check valve between reservoir chamber 52 and lower working chamber 46. The damping characteristics for a rebound stroke are controlled in part by rebound valve assembly 64 as detailed above.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, rod guide assembly 50 is illustrated in greater detail. Rod guide assembly 50 comprises a rod guide housing 120, a seal assembly 122, a retainer 124 and a digital valve assembly 126.

Rod guide housing 120 is assembled into pressure tube 30 and into reserve tube 36. Seal assembly 122 and retainer 124 are assembled to rod guide housing 120 and reserve tube 36 is rolled or formed over as illustrated at 128 to retain rod guide assembly 50. A bushing 130 assembled into rod guide housing 120 accommodates for the sliding motion of piston rod 34 while also providing for a seal for piston rod 34. A fluid passage 132 extends through rod guide housing 120 to allow fluid communication between upper working chamber 44 and digital valve assembly 126 as discussed below.

Digital valve assembly 126 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 126 comprises a valve housing 140, a sleeve 142, a spool 144, a spring 146 and a coil assembly 148. Valve housing 140 defines a valve inlet 150 which is in communication with upper working chamber 44 through fluid passage 132 and a valve outlet 152 which is in fluid communication with reservoir chamber 52. While this embodiment and other embodiments described later include spring 146 in the digital valve assemblies, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to use digital valve assemblies that do not include spring 146. Digital valve assemblies that do not include spring 146 are moved between their two positions by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power provided to the digital valve assembly.

Sleeve 142 is disposed within valve housing 140. Sleeve 142 defines an annular inlet chamber 154 which is in communication with valve inlet 150 and a pair of annular outlet chambers 156 and 158 which are in communication with valve outlet 152.

Spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 142 and axially travels within sleeve 142 between coil assembly 148 and a stop puck 160 disposed within sleeve 142. Spring 146 biases spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 160. A shim 162 is disposed between coil assembly 148 and sleeve 142 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144. A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 160, sleeve 142 and valve housing 140. A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148, sleeve 142 and rod guide housing 120.

Spool 144 defines a first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 154 and annular outlet chamber 156 and a second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 154 and annular outlet chamber 158. Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow from upper working chamber 44 to reservoir chamber 52.

Coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 142 to control the axial movement of spool 144. The wiring connections for coil assembly 148 can extend through rod guide housing 120, through sleeve 142, through valve housing 140 and/or through reserve tube 36. When there is no power provided to coil assembly 148, the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of digital valve assembly 126 in its first position, piston assembly 32 and base valve assembly 38. The movement of spool 144 is controlled by supplying power to coil assembly 148 to move digital valve assembly to its second position. Digital valve assembly 126 can be kept in its second position by continuing to supply power to coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assembly 126 in its second position and discontinuing the supply of power to coil assembly 148. The means for retaining digital valve assembly 126 in its second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in its second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through digital valve assembly 126 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using only one digital valve assembly 126, it is within the scope of the disclosure to use a plurality of digital valve assemblies 126. When multiple digital valve assemblies 126 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 126 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 126. The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2^(n) flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 126. For example, if four digital valve assemblies 126, the number of total flow areas available would be 2⁴ or sixteen flow areas.

FIG. 7 discloses a force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20. Line A represents the bleed flow and the firm setting when digital valve assembly 126 is closed. Line B represents the bleed flow and the combination of the passive valving in piston assembly 32 or base valve assembly 38 in combination with a first opening degree of digital valve assembly 126. Line C represents the bleed flow and the combination of the passive valving in piston assembly 32 or base valve assembly 38 in combination with a second opening degree of digital valve assembly 126 greater than the first opening degree. Line D represents the bleed flow and the combination of the passive valving in piston assembly 32 or base valve assembly 38 in combination with a fully opened digital valve assembly 126.

Fluid will flow through digital valve assembly 126 will occur both during a rebound or extension stroke and during a compression stroke. During a rebound or extension stroke, fluid in upper working chamber 44 is pressurized which then forces fluid flow through digital valve assembly 126 when it is opened. During a compression stroke, fluid flows from lower working chamber 46 to upper working chamber 44 through piston assembly 32 due to the “rod volume” concept. When digital valve assembly 126 is opened, an open flow path between upper working chamber 44 and reservoir chamber 52 is created. Additional fluid flow will flow through piston assembly 32 and through digital valve assembly 126 because this open flow path creates the path of least resistance to reservoir chamber 52 in comparison to flow through base valve assembly 38.

Referring now to FIG. 8-10, a mono-tube shock absorber 220 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. Shock absorber 220 can replace either shock absorber 20 or shock absorber 26 by modifying the way it is adapted to be connected to the sprung mass and/or the unsprung mass of the vehicle. Shock absorber 220 comprises a pressure tube 230, a piston assembly 232 and a piston rod assembly 234.

Pressure tube 230 defines a working chamber 242. Piston assembly 232 is slidably disposed within pressure tube 230 and divides working chamber 242 into an upper working chamber 244 and a lower working chamber 246. A seal 248 is disposed between piston assembly 232 and pressure tube 230 to permit sliding movement of piston assembly 232 with respect to pressure tube 230 without generating undue frictional forces as well as sealing upper working chamber 244 from lower working chamber 246. Piston rod assembly 234 is attached to piston assembly 232 and it extends through upper working chamber 244 and through an upper end cap or rod guide 250 which closes the upper end of pressure tube 230. A sealing system seals the interface between rod guide 250, pressure tube 230 and piston rod assembly 234. The end of piston rod assembly 234 opposite to piston assembly 232 is adapted to be secured to the sprung mass of vehicle 10. The end of pressure tube 230 opposite to rod guide 250 is closed by a base cup 254 which is adapted to be connected to the unsprung mass of vehicle 10.

A compression valve assembly 256 associated with piston assembly 232 is termed a passive valve assembly which controls movement of fluid between lower working chamber 246 and upper working chamber 244 during compression movement of piston assembly 232 within pressure tube 230. The design for compression valve assembly 256 controls in part the damping characteristics for shock absorber 220 during a compression stroke. An extension valve assembly 258 associated with piston assembly 232 is termed a pressure valve assembly which controls movement of fluid between upper working chamber 244 and lower working chamber 246 during extension or rebound movement of piston assembly 232 within pressure tube 230. The design for extension valve assembly 258 controls in part the damping characteristics for shock absorber 220 during an extension or rebound stroke.

Because piston rod assembly 234 extends only through upper working chamber 244 and not lower working chamber 246, movement of piston assembly 232 with respect to pressure tube 230 causes a difference in the amount of fluid displaced in upper working chamber 244 and the amount of fluid displaced in lower working chamber 246. The difference in the amount of fluid displaced is known as the “rod volume” and compensation for this fluid is accommodated by a piston slidably disposed within pressure tube 230 and located between lower working chamber 246 and a compensation chamber 260. Typically compensation chamber 260 is filled with a pressurized gas and the piston moves within pressure tube 230 to compensate for the “rod volume” concept.

Referring now to FIG. 9, piston assembly 232 comprises a piston body 262, compression valve assembly 256 and extension valve assembly 258. Compression valve assembly 256 is assembled against a shoulder 266 on piston rod assembly 234. Piston body 262 is assembled against compression valve assembly 256 and extension valve assembly 258 is assembled against piston body 262. A nut 268 secures these components to piston rod assembly 234.

Piston body 262 defines a plurality of compression passages 270 and a plurality of rebound passages 272. Seal 248 includes a plurality of ribs 274 which mate with a plurality of annular grooves 276 to retain seal 248 during sliding movement of piston assembly 232.

Compression valve assembly 256 is termed a passive valve assembly which comprises a retainer 278, a valve disc 280 and a spring 282. Retainer 278 abuts shoulder 266 on one end and piston body 262 on the other end. Valve disc 280 abuts piston body 262 and closes compression passages 270 while leaving rebound passages 272 open. Spring 282 is disposed between retainer 278 and valve disc 280 to bias valve disc 280 against piston body 262. During a compression stroke, fluid in lower working chamber 246 is pressurized causing fluid pressure to react against valve disc 280. Prior to the opening of valve disc 280, a bleed flow of fluid will flow through a bleed passage defined by valve disc 280 and piston body 262. When the fluid pressure against valve disc 280 overcomes the biasing load of spring 282, valve disc 280 separates from piston body 262 to open compression passages 270 and allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 246 to upper working chamber 244. The damping characteristics for shock absorber 220 during a compression stroke are controlled by compression valve assembly 256. During a rebound stroke, compression passages 270 are closed by valve disc 280.

Extension valve assembly 258 is termed a passive valve assembly which comprises a spacer 284, a plurality of valve discs 286, a retainer 288 and a spring 290. Spacer 284 is threadingly received on piston rod assembly 234 and is disposed between piston body 262 and nut 268. Spacer 284 retains piston body 262 and compression valve assembly 256 while permitting the tightening of nut 268 without compressing either valve disc 280 or valve discs 286. Retainer 278, piston body 262 and spacer 284 provide a continuous solid connection between shoulder 266 and nut 268 to facilitate the tightening and securing of nut 268 to spacer 284 and thus to piston rod assembly 234. Valve discs 286 are slidingly received on spacer 284 and abut piston body 262 to close rebound passages 272 while leaving compression passages 270 open. Retainer 288 is also slidingly received on spacer 284 and it abuts valve discs 286. Spring 290 is assembled over spacer 284 and is disposed between retainer 288 and nut 268 which is threadingly received on spacer 284. Spring 290 biases retainer 288 against valve discs 286 and valve discs 286 against piston body 262. When fluid pressure is applied to valve discs 286, they will elastically deflect at the outer peripheral edge to open extension valve assembly 258. A shim 296 is located between nut 268 and spring 290 to control the preload for spring 290 and thus the blow off pressure as described below. Thus, the calibration for the blow off feature of extension valve assembly 258 is separate from the calibration for compression valve assembly 256.

During a rebound stroke, fluid in upper working chamber 244 is pressurized causing fluid pressure to react against valve discs 286. Prior to the deflection of valve discs 286, a bleed flow of fluid will flow through a bleed passage defined by valve discs 286 and piston body 262. When the fluid pressure reacting against valve discs 286 overcomes the bending load for valve discs 286, valve discs 286 elastically deflect opening rebound passages 272 allowing fluid flow from upper working chamber 244 to lower working chamber 246. The strength of valve discs 286 and the size of rebound passages will determine the damping characteristics for shock absorber 220 in rebound. When the fluid pressure within upper working chamber 244 reaches a predetermined level, the fluid pressure will overcome the biasing load of spring 290 causing axial movement of retainer 288 and the plurality of valve discs 286. The axial movement of retainer 288 and valve discs 286 fully opens rebound passages 272 thus allowing the passage of a significant amount of damping fluid creating a blowing off of the fluid pressure which is required to prevent damage to shock absorber 220 and/or vehicle 10.

Referring now to FIG. 10, piston rod assembly 234 is illustrated in greater detail. Piston rod assembly 234 comprises a piston rod 298 and a digital valve assembly 300. Piston rod 298 is a hollow piston rod that defines an internal bore 302 within which digital valve assembly 300 is located. An inlet passage 304 extends through the lower post portion of piston rod 298 to allow communication between lower working chamber 246 and internal bore 302. One or more outlet passages 306 extend through piston rod 298 to allow communication between upper working chamber 244 and internal bore 302.

Digital valve assembly 300 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 300 comprises a sleeve 312, a plurality of spools 144, a plurality of springs 146, a plurality of coil assemblies 148 and a circuit board 314. Sleeve 312 defines a valve inlet 320 which is in communication with lower working chamber 246 through inlet passage 304; a valve outlet 322 which is in communication with upper working chamber 244 through outlet passages 306; a plurality of annular inlet chambers 324 each of which is in communication valve inlet 320; and a pair of annular outlet chamber 326, 328 associated with each inlet chamber 324 and each of which is in communication with valve outlet 322.

Each spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 312 and axially travels within sleeve 312 between a respective coil assembly 148 and a respective stop puck 160 disposed within sleeve 312. Each spring 146 biases a respective spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 160. A respective shim 162 is disposed between each coil assembly 148 and each spool 144 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144. A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 160, sleeve 142 and piston rod 298. A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148, sleeve 142 and circuit board 314.

Spool 144 defines first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between a respective annular inlet chamber 324 and a respective annular outlet chamber 326 and second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between the respective annular inlet chamber 324 and a respective annular outlet chamber 328. Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow between upper working chamber 244 and lower working chamber 246.

Each coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 312 to control the axial movement of a respective spool 144. The wiring connections for coil assemblies 148 extend to circuit board 314 and then through internal bore 302 of piston rod 298. Circuit board 314 is disposed in internal bore 302 immediately above sleeve 312. An O-ring seals the interface between circuit board 314 and piston rod 298. While circuit board 314 is illustrated as being in internal bore 302, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to locate circuit board 314 external to shock absorber 220. When there is no power provided to coil assemblies 148, the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of each digital valve assembly 300 in its first position and piston assembly 232. The movement of each spool 144 is controlled by supplying power provided to each coil assembly 148 to move the respective digital valve assembly to its second position. Digital valve assemblies 300 can be kept in the second position by continuing to supply power to each coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assemblies 300 in the second position and discontinuing the supply of power to each coil assembly 148. The means for retaining each digital valve assembly 300 in its second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in its second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to each coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to each coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through each digital valve assembly 300 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using multiple digital valve assemblies 300, it is within the scope of the disclosure to use one digital valve assembly 300. When multiple digital valve assemblies 300 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 300 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 300. The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2^(n) flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 300. For example, if four digital valve assemblies 300, the number of total flow areas available would be 2⁴ or sixteen flow areas.

The force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 illustrated in FIG. 7 is applicable to shock absorber 220. The curves A, B, C and D illustrated in FIG. 7 are achieved using digital valve assembly 300.

Referring now to FIGS. 11-12, a rod guide assembly 400 in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated. Rod guide assembly 400 can be used in place of rod guide assembly 50. Rod guide assembly 400 comprises a rod guide housing 420, a seal assembly 422, and a plurality of digital valve assemblies 426.

Rod guide housing 420 is assembled into pressure tube 30 and into reserve tube 36. Seal assembly 422 is assembled to rod guide housing 420 and reserve tube 36 is rolled or formed over as illustrated at 428 to retain rod guide assembly 400. One or more bushings 430 assembled into rod guide housing 420 accommodates for the sliding motion of piston rod 34 while also providing for a seal for piston rod 34. A fluid passage 432 extends through rod guide housing 420 to allow fluid communication between upper working chamber 44 and digital valve assembly 426 as discussed below. A fluid passage 434 extends through rod guide housing 420 to allow fluid communication between digital valve assembly 426 and reservoir chamber 52. A plurality of seal ports 436 extend through rod guide housing 420 to accommodate the flow of fluid between piston rod 34 and bushings 430.

Each digital valve assembly 426 is identical and thus only one digital valve assembly 426 will be described. It is to be understood that the description below applies to all digital valve assemblies used in rod guide assembly 400. Digital valve assembly 426 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 426 comprises a sleeve 442, spool 144, spring 146 and coil assembly 148. Sleeve 442 is disposed within a valve port 450 defined by rod guide housing 420. Sleeve 442 defines an annular inlet chamber 454 which is in communication with fluid passage 432 and a pair of annular outlet chambers 456 and 458 which are in communication with fluid passage 434.

Spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 442 and axially travels within sleeve 442 between coil assembly 148 and stop puck 160 disposed within sleeve 442. Spring 146 biases spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 160. Shim 162 is disposed between coil assembly 148 and spool 144 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144. A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 160 and a retainer 460 secured to sleeve 442. A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148 and a retainer 462 secured to sleeve 442.

Spool 144 defines first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 454 and annular outlet chamber 456 and second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 454 and annular outlet chamber 458. Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow from upper working chamber 44 to reservoir chamber 52.

Coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 442 to control the axial movement of spool 144. The wiring connections for coil assembly 148 can extend through rod guide housing 420, through sleeve 442 and/or through reserve tube 36. When there is no power provided to coil assembly 148, the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of digital valve assembly 426 in its first position, piston assembly 32 and base valve assembly 38. The movement of spool 144 is controlled by supplying power to coil assembly 148 to move digital valve assembly to its second position. Digital valve assembly 426 can be kept in its second position by continuing to supply power to coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assembly 426 in its second position and discontinuing the supply of power to coil assembly 148. The means for retaining digital valve assembly 426 in its second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in its second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through digital valve assembly 426 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using a plurality of digital valve assemblies 426, it is within the scope of the disclosure to use a single digital valve assembly 426. Similar to rod guide assembly 50, digital valve assemblies 426 control damping loads in both extension and compression strokes for shock absorber 20. When multiple digital valve assemblies 426 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 426 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 426. The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2^(n) flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 426. For example, if four digital valve assemblies 426, the number of total flow areas available would be 2⁴ or sixteen flow areas.

The force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 illustrated in FIG. 7 is applicable to shock absorber 20 when it incorporates rod guide assembly 400 in place of rod guide assembly 50. The curves A, B, C and D illustrated in FIG. 7 are achieved using digital valve assemblies 426.

Seal assembly 422 includes a check seal 470 which allows fluid to flow from the interface between piston rod 34 and bushings 430 to reservoir chamber 52 through seal ports 436 and fluid passage 434 but prohibit fluid flow from reservoir chamber 52 or fluid passage 434 through seal ports 436 to the interface between piston rod 34 and bushings 430. The upper portion of sleeve 442, above retainer 462 defines a flow passage 472 to allow fluid flow from seal ports 436 to reach fluid passage 434 and thus reservoir chamber 52.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, a piston rod assembly 500 in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated. Piston rod assembly 500 can be used in place of piston rod assembly 234. Piston rod assembly 500 comprises a piston rod 508 and a plurality of digital valve assemblies 510. Piston rod 508 is a hollow piston rod that defines an internal bore 512 within which the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 are located. An inlet passage 514 extends through the lower post portion of piston rod 508 to allow communication between lower working chamber 246 and internal bore 512. One or more outlet passages 516 extend through piston rod 508 to allow communication between upper working chamber 244 and internal bore 512.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 are stacked atop each other within internal bore 512. Each digital valve assembly 510 is identical and thus, only one digital valve assembly will be described. It is to be understood that the description below applies to all digital valve assemblies 510 used in piston rod assembly 500.

Digital valve assembly 510 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 510 comprises a sleeve 522, spool 144, spring 146 and coil assembly 148. A single circuit board 524 is utilized for the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510. Sleeve 522 defines a valve inlet 530 which is in communication with lower working chamber 246 through inlet passage 514; a valve outlet 532 which is in communication with upper working chamber 244 through outlet passages 516; an annular inlet chamber 534 each of which is in communication valve inlet 530; and a pair of annular outlet chamber 536, 538 associated with inlet chamber 534 and each of which is in communication with valve outlet 532.

Each spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 522 and axially travels within sleeve 522 between coil assembly 148 and stop puck 160 disposed within sleeve 522. Spring 146 biases spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 160. Shim 162 is disposed between coil assembly 148 and sleeve 522 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144. A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 160 and a washer 540 attached to sleeve 522. A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148 and a washer 542 attached to sleeve 522.

Spool 144 defines first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 534 and annular outlet chamber 536 and second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 534 and annular outlet chamber 538. Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow between upper working chamber 244 and lower working chamber 246.

Coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 522 to control the axial movement of spool 144. The wiring connections for coil assembly 148 extend to circuit board 524 and then through internal bore 512 of piston rod 508. Circuit board 524 is disposed in internal bore 302 immediately above the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510. An O-ring seals the interface between circuit board 524 and piston rod 508. While circuit board 524 is illustrated as being in internal bore 512, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to locate circuit board 524 external to shock absorber 220.

When there is no power provided to coil assemblies 148, the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of digital valve assemblies 510 in the first position and piston assembly 232. The movement of each spool 144 is controlled by supplying power to each coil assembly 148 to move digital valve assemblies 510 to the second position. Digital valve assemblies 510 can be kept in the second position by continuing to supply power to each coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assemblies 510 in the second position and discontinuing the supply of power to coil assemblies 148. The means for retaining digital valve assemblies 510 in the second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in the second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to each coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to each coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through each digital valve assembly 510 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using multiple digital valve assemblies 510, it is within the scope of the disclosure to use one digital valve assembly 510. When multiple digital valve assemblies 510 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 510. The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2^(n) flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 510. For example, if four digital valve assemblies 510, the number of total flow areas available would be 2⁴ or sixteen flow areas.

The force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 illustrated in FIG. 7 is applicable to shock absorber 220 in cooperation with the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510. The curves A, B, C and D illustrated in FIG. 7 are achieved using digital valve assemblies 510.

Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16, a shock absorber 620 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Shock absorber 620 can replace shock absorber 20 or 220. Shock absorber 620 comprises a pressure tube 630, piston assembly 32, piston rod 34, a reserve tube 636, a base valve assembly 638, an intermediate tube 640 and a plurality of digital valve assemblies 642. While shock absorber 620 is illustrated having a plurality of digital valve assemblies 642, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to utilize a single digital valve assembly 642.

Pressure tube 630 defines a working chamber 644. Piston assembly 32 is slidably disposed within pressure tube 630 and divides working chamber 644 into an upper working chamber 646 and a lower working chamber 648. A seal is disposed between piston assembly 32 and pressure tube 630 to permit sliding movement of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 630 without generating undue frictional forces as well as sealing upper working chamber 646 from lower working chamber 648. Piston rod 34 is attached to piston assembly 32 and extends through upper working chamber 646 and through an upper rod guide assembly 650 which closes the upper end of pressure tube 630. A sealing system seals the interface between upper rod guide assembly 650, reserve tube 636 and piston rod 34. The end of piston rod 34 opposite to piston assembly 32 is adapted to be secured to the sprung mass of vehicle 10. Because piston rod 34 extends only through upper working chamber 646 and not lower working chamber 648, extension and compression movements of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 630 causes a difference in the amount of fluid displaced in upper working chamber 646 and the amount of fluid displaced in lower working chamber 648. The difference in the amount of fluid displaced is known as the “rod volume” and during extension movements it flows through base valve assembly 638. During a compression movement of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 630, valving within piston assembly 32 allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 648 to upper working chamber 646 and the “rod volume” of fluid flow flows through digital valve assemblies 642 and/or fluid flow will flow through base valve assembly 638 as described below.

Reserve tube 636 surrounds pressure tube 630 to define a fluid reservoir chamber 652 located between tubes 640 and 636. The bottom end of reserve tube 636 is closed by a base cup 654 which, with the lower portion of shock absorber 620, is adapted to be connected to the unsprung mass of vehicle 10. The upper end of reserve tube 636 is attached to intermediate tube 640 but it could extend up to upper rod guide assembly 650. Base valve assembly 638 is disposed between lower working chamber 648 and reservoir chamber 652 to control the flow of fluid from reservoir chamber 652 to lower working chamber 648. When shock absorber 620 extends in length, an additional volume of fluid is needed in lower working chamber 648 due to the “rod volume” concept. Thus, fluid will flow from reservoir chamber 652 to lower working chamber 648 through base valve assembly 638 as detailed below. When shock absorber 620 compresses in length, an excess of fluid must be removed from lower working chamber 648 due to the “rod volume” concept. Thus, fluid will flow from lower working chamber 648 to reservoir chamber 652 through digital valve assemblies 642 and/or through base valve assembly 638 as detailed below.

Piston assembly 32 is described above for shock absorber 20 and the description of that embodiment applies here also.

Base valve assembly 638 is the same as base valve assembly 38 described above except that valve body 92 in base valve assembly 38 is replaced by valve body 692 for base valve assembly 638. Valve body 692 is the same as valve body 92 in relation to compression valve assembly 94 and rebound valve assembly 96. Valve body 692 is different from valve body 92 in that valve body 692 defines a plurality of cylinder end ports 694 each of which accepts a respective digital valve assembly 642 as described below.

Intermediate tube 640 engages upper rod guide assembly 650 on an upper end and it engages valve body 692 at its opposite end. An intermediate chamber 696 is defined between intermediate tube 640 and pressure tube 630. A passage 698 is formed in upper rod guide assembly 650 for fluidly connecting upper working chamber 646 and intermediate chamber 696.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, the operation of shock absorber 620 will be described when digital valve assemblies 642 contribute to the damping characteristics for shock absorber 620. As discussed above, when no power is provided to digital valve assemblies 642, the damping characteristics are provided by piston assembly 32 during an extension stroke and base valve assembly 638 during a compression stroke. During a rebound or extension stroke, compression valve assembly 62 closes the plurality of compression passages 70 and fluid pressure within upper working chamber 646 increases. Fluid is forced from upper working chamber 646, through passage 698, into intermediate chamber 696 to reach digital valve assemblies 642.

During a compression stroke, compression valve assembly 62 will open to allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 648 to upper working chamber 646. Due to the “rod volume” concept, fluid in upper working chamber 646 will flow from upper working chamber 646, through passage 698, into intermediate chamber 696 to reach digital valve assemblies 642.

The plurality of digital valve assemblies 642 are the same and only one digital valve assembly 642 will be described. It is to be understood that the description below applies to all of digital valve assemblies 642. Digital valve assembly 642 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 642 comprises a sleeve 742, spool 144, a spring 146 and coil assembly 148. Sleeve 742 defines a valve inlet 750 which is in communication with intermediate chamber 696 and a valve outlet 752 which is in fluid communication with reservoir chamber 652.

Sleeve 742 is disposed within cylinder end port 694 of valve body 692. Sleeve 742 defines an annular inlet chamber 754 which is in communication with valve inlet 750 and a pair of annular outlet chambers 756 and 758 which are in communication with valve outlet 752.

Spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 742 and axially travels within sleeve 742 between coil assembly 148 and a stop puck 760 disposed within sleeve 742. Spring 146 biases spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 760. A shim 762 is disposed between coil assembly 148 and sleeve 742 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144. A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 760, sleeve 742 and a first retainer 764 attached to sleeve 742. A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148, sleeve 742 and a second retainer 766 attached to sleeve 742.

Spool 144 defines first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 754 and annular outlet chamber 756 and second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 754 and annular outlet chamber 758. Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow from intermediate chamber 696 to reservoir chamber 652.

Coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 742 to control the axial movement of spool 144. The wiring connections for coil assembly 148 can extend through valve body 692, through sleeve 742, through base cup 654 and/or through reserve tube 636. When there is no power provided to coil assembly 148, the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of digital valve assembly 642 in its first position, piston assembly 32 and base valve assembly 638. The movement of spool 144 is controlled by supplying power to coil assembly 148 to move digital valve assembly 642 to its second position. Digital valve assembly 642 can be kept in its second position by continuing to supply power to coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assembly 642 in its second position and discontinuing the supply of power to coil assembly 148. The means for retaining digital valve assembly 642 in its second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in its second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through digital valve assembly 642 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using multiple digital valve assemblies 642, it is within the scope of the disclosure to use one digital valve assembly 642. When multiple digital valve assemblies 642 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 642 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 642. The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2^(n) flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 642. For example, if four digital valve assemblies 642, the number of total flow areas available would be 2⁴ or sixteen flow areas.

The force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 illustrated in FIG. 7 is applicable to shock absorber 620 in cooperation with the plurality of digital valve assemblies 642. The curves A, B, C and D illustrated in FIG. 7 are achieved using digital valve assemblies 642.

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, a base valve assembly 838 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Base valve assembly 838 is a replacement for base valve assembly 638. Base valve assembly 838 is the same as base valve assembly 638 except for valve body 692. Valve body 692 in base valve assembly 638 has been replaced with valve body 844 in base valve assembly 838. Valve body 844 defines a plurality of cylinder end ports 846 each of which accepts a respective digital valve assembly 642. The operation and function of base valve assembly 838 is the same as that described above for base valve assembly 638.

Referring now to FIGS. 20 and 21, a base valve assembly 938 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Base valve assembly 938 is a replacement for base valve assembly 638. Base valve assembly 938 is the same as base valve assembly 638 except for valve body 692 and digital valve assembly 642. Valve body 692 in base valve assembly 638 has been replaced with valve body 944 in base valve assembly 938 and digital valve assembly 642 has been replaced with a digital valve assembly 948. Valve body 944 defines a plurality of cylinder end ports 946 each of which accepts a respective digital valve assembly 948. Digital valve assembly 948 is the same as digital valve assembly 642 except that sleeve 742 is replaced by sleeve 950. Sleeve 950 is the same as sleeve 742 except that valve outlet 752 of sleeve 742 is replaced by valve outlet 952 of sleeve 950. Valve outlet 752 of sleeve 742 is open along the entire axial length of sleeve 742. Outlet 952 of sleeve 950 is open only at the bottom surface of sleeve 950.

Digital valve assembly 948 is disposed within intermediate chamber 696 as illustrated in FIG. 20. Intermediate tube 640 is enlarged as shown at 960 to accommodate digital valve assembly 948. The operation and function of base valve assembly 938 is the same as that described above for base valve assembly 638.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A shock absorber comprising: an intermediate tube; a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube and forming a working chamber within the pressure tube; a piston rod disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber; a piston assembly secured to the piston rod and moveable slidably within the pressure tube, the piston assembly dividing the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber; an intermediate chamber formed between the intermediate tube and the pressure tube, the intermediate chamber being in communication with the working chamber; a reserve tube disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube; a base valve assembly disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber and controlling a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber; and the base valve assembly including a digital valve assembly in communication with the intermediate chamber, and including a valve element moveable between a first position and a second position to control a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber.
 2. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the base valve assembly includes a plurality of digital valve assemblies each in communication with the intermediate chamber and the reservoir chamber.
 3. The shock absorber of 2, wherein the digital valve assemblies are arranged radially about an axial centerline extending through the shock absorber.
 4. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the base valve assembly includes a valve body having a cylinder end port, and wherein the digital valve is disposed within the cylinder end port.
 5. The shock absorber of claim 4, wherein the base valve assembly includes a plurality of cylinder end ports arranged radially about an axial centerline extending through the shock absorber, and wherein each one of the cylinder end ports includes a digital valve assembly disposed therein, each said digital valve assembly controlling a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber.
 6. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the digital valve assembly includes: a sleeve; a spool forming the valve element and being movable slidably within the sleeve, the sleeve and the spool cooperatively forming at least one inlet in communication with the intermediate chamber and at least one outlet in communication with the reservoir chamber; and an electrically energizable coil for moving the spool between the first and second positions, one of the first and second positions permitting a greater flow of the working fluid between the inlet and the outlet than the other of the positions.
 7. The shock absorber of claim 6, wherein the base valve assembly includes a valve body having a cylinder end port, the cylinder end port helping to define an inlet flow path in communication with the inlet of the digital valve assembly and an outlet flow path in communication with the outlet of the digital valve assembly, the outlet flow path extending along only a portion of an axial length of the sleeve.
 8. The shock absorber of claim 7, wherein the outlet flow path extends along a full axial length of the sleeve of the digital valve assembly.
 9. The shock absorber of claim 7, wherein the digital valve assembly has a first end and a second end, and wherein the sleeve forms an outlet flow path in communication with the outlet, the outlet flow path extending along a full axial length of the sleeve and opening adjacent the second end.
 10. The shock absorber of claim 6, further including a spring disposed axially between the coil and the spool for biasing the spool in a selected axial direction.
 11. The shock absorber of claim 2, wherein the digital valve assemblies are independently controllable.
 12. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the base valve assembly further comprises a compression valve assembly.
 13. A shock absorber comprising: an intermediate tube; a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube and forming a working chamber within the pressure tube; a piston rod disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber; a piston assembly secured to the piston rod and moveable slidably within the pressure tube, the piston assembly dividing the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber; an intermediate chamber formed between said intermediate tube and the pressure tube, the intermediate chamber being in communication with the upper working chamber; a reserve tube disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube; a base valve assembly disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber and controlling a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber; and the base valve assembly including a plurality of independently electrically energizable valves arranged radially about an axial center of the base valve assembly, for controlling a flow of a portion of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber.
 14. The shock absorber of claim 13, wherein the base valve assembly further comprises a valve body having a plurality of cylinder end ports arranged radially about the axial center of the base valve assembly, each of the cylinder end ports receiving one of the plurality of independently electrically energizable valves.
 15. The shock absorber of claim 14, wherein the plurality of independently electrically energizable valves comprises a plurality of independently electrically energizable digital valve assemblies, each of the digital valve assemblies including: a sleeve; a spool disposed for sliding movement within the sleeve, the sleeve and spool cooperating to define at least one inlet and at least one outlet; and a coil which is electrically energizable to move the spool linearly within the sleeve between first and second positions, wherein one of the first and second positions permits a greater flow of the working flow through the spool and sleeve than the other of the positions.
 16. The shock absorber of claim 13, further comprising a base cup secured to an end of the reserve tube to help define the reservoir chamber.
 17. The shock absorber of claim 15, wherein each of the digital valve assemblies has a first end and a second end, wherein the sleeve of each one of the digital valve assemblies helps to define an outlet flow path adjacent its respective said spool, and wherein the outlet flow path extends along a full length of its respective said spool and opens at the second end of the digital valve assembly.
 18. The shock absorber of claim 15, wherein an outlet flow path is defined within the valve body adjacent the sleeve of each one of the digital valve assemblies, and wherein each said outlet flow path extends along an entire axial length of each one of the sleeves; and wherein the sleeve helps to define an outlet flow path adjacent the spool that extends only a portion of an axial length of the digital valve assembly.
 19. The shock absorber of claim 13, wherein the base valve assembly further comprises a compression valve assembly.
 20. A method of forming a shock absorber comprising: providing an intermediate tube; providing a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube and forming a working chamber within the pressure tube; providing a piston rod disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber; providing a piston assembly secured to the piston rod and moveable slidably within the pressure tube, the piston assembly dividing the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber; forming an intermediate chamber between the intermediate tube and the pressure tube, the intermediate chamber being in communication with the working chamber; providing a reserve tube disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube; using a base valve assembly disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber for controlling a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber; incorporating a digital valve assembly into the base valve assembly, the digital valve assembly being in communication with the intermediate chamber and the reservoir chamber; and controlling movement of an electrically energizable, axially slidably movable valve element of the digital valve assembly between a first position and a second position to control a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber. 